


Committed to You

by qtpiebyunbaek



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 09:01:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17159123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qtpiebyunbaek/pseuds/qtpiebyunbaek
Summary: Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol first meet on Christmas Eve in 2014.It takes 4 years, 7 frustrated friends, 1 concerned sister and 2 puppies for them to get together.





	Committed to You

2018\. Christmas Eve.

It is December 24th when the streets are decked out in Christmas decorations, and couples are holding hands seemingly out on a mission to fill every restaurant possible. Baekhyun walks aimlessly around Hongdae, it is a terrible 5 degree night and he isn’t sure if he is dressed warmly enough. Clad in a burgundy coat and a black turtleneck, Baekhyun is easily cold but he thinks this will suffice for now since shops are usually well equipped with heaters. If there is one big contradiction about him, it would definitely be his love for cold treats yet hate for the cold itself. Baskin Robbins seems to have a slightly shorter than Haagen Dazs at the opposite street so the 28 year old pads towards to the shop in a second. “When it comes to Baskin Robbins, it has to be Very Berry Strawberry for sure!” he mumbles with his eyes fixed on their Christmas Special Flavours for this holidays. Baekhyun’s phone buzzes violently with consecutive text messages, “This year too, let’s meet the couple requirement at Baskin Robbins together!” Chanyeol must be reaching soon, Baekhyun thinks and smiles to himself. Little does Chanyeol know, Baskin Robbins has scraped that rule since 2015.

(2014.) 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol met one chilly night 4 years ago, that was where it all started.

Baekhyun thinks nothing could be worse than getting dumped on Christmas Eve. No presents, no warm hugs. He even prepared a present for Seungjae but as he hear the words “Let’s stop this. I have no time for you. I will let my parents know about this.” leave his boyfriend’s, correction, ex-boyfriend’s lips, he doesn’t know who to gift that beautiful cream wool scarf too. All the hours he spent, not just on knitting the scarf and pricking himself a hundred times but the 2 whole years he had with him. All the happy couples on the streets must be feeling really blissful, how mocking, he feels like his heart just got torn into half. Baekhyun strolls past Lotte Cinema, there goes the movie tickets he fought so hard to buy. Another thing gone, this Christmas Eve has got to be the best one he ever spent in the 24 years of his life on Earth.

Ding! “Kyoong-ah, remember our Christmas Party tomorrow!” Baekhyun drags a hand down his face, trust Minseok to always be the most excited about their annual winter gathering. He forgot to buy him a present, he is contemplating between red wine and champagne when he hears the chimes of the handheld bell. He looks up from his phone and spots a young lady with a Christmas hat standing outside Baskin Robbins. He approaches the menu board and ponders between trying a new flavour and sticking to his good old Very Berry Strawberry. However, Baekhyun’s dilemma is quickly forgotten and his little smile is replaced with a pout because the waitress with the Rudolf ears headband just told him only couples are allowed to dine in for the 24th and 25th. “Who the hell made such a rule, this is discrimination!”, Baekhyun stares at the couple feeding each other their dessert and thinks if he should just run to the mart and stuff himself with strawberry ice-cream once he is home. 

No boyfriend, no presents, no warm hugs and now, no ice-cream either. Baekhyun squats at the side wall of the shop, he really thinks this has got to be the worst Christmas Eve he has ever spent. He cannot relate to the joyous holiday mood or bring himself to hum along to the myriad of Christmas carols blasting through the speakers of the shops along the street. His lips wobble and tears starting welling up in his eyes, he bows his head even lower as though wanting to hide himself from everything. 

Chanyeol thinks Christmas really isn’t his thing. Not how cold it is, not how crowded it is everywhere during this time of the year. “Okay I am glad you understand.” Chanyeol ends the conversation, picks his phone to shove into his back pocket. The bell at the door rings with his departure, he vaguely remembers ordering chocolate cake but they ended before the waitress served it. “Breakups are so difficult”, he wishes there was an easier way around this because he really didn’t want to make her cry like that. What else could he do when she threw him a ‘Marriage or Break up’ ultimatum? His rough ruffling makes his hair stick in different directions but even so, passerbys can’t help but to steal a glance or two at the tall and handsome man.

Chanyeol pads towards Baskin Robbins to get his chocolate fix and hears the exact same sentences flow out for the lady’s lips. “We’re so sorry but we only serve couples for this two days! Merry Christmas!” It is sure a very merry christmas because now he is standing beside the menu and looking at the crazy queue leading into the store. He considers heading back home but he hears a sniffle and immediately whips around to find the source. 

The sniffles get louder as he steps closer and he feels a little pinch in his heart. “Oh no.. Such an adorable guy shouldn’t be weeping on Christmas Eve”, a strange force possesses him and pushes him to interact. Three taps on his shoulder effectively garners his attention, “little guy” stares at his sports shoes for a moment before looking up. Chanyeol thinks his heart is about to burst when he sees his eyes and nose all red from crying, it is when he tries helping him stand to move to a nearby bench that he realises that he is actually a good 10cm taller. Chanyeol fumbles for a handkerchief and laughs awkwardly when Baekhyun looks up and giggles with Chanyeol’s handkerchief in hand. Chanyeol thinks it’s impossible for someone to look this cute but he calms his heart and sits beside him. It is a silent but comfortable 10 minute silence and Chanyeol suggests for them to meet the couple requirement for Baskin Robbins together.

“You two must be boyfriends!” exclaims the excited waitress when she sees them approach the store, seemingly have forgotten how both of them were alone just 15 minutes ago. Chanyeol decides to play along and daringly grabs Baekhyun’s hands, as though acknowledging her words. “Feels just like a heat pack”, Baekhyun let slip a little gasp when he felt Chanyeol’s big hands engulf his but he focuses more on how warm they are. 

When Baekhyun is off to get ice-cream from the counter, “Let me treat as a form of saying thank you!”, Chanyeol belatedly recognises him as the leader of one of the teams in the Finance Department. No wonder he looked familiar, they probably would saw each other around the office since they worked on the same level. The Finance Department has little interactions with the Human Resource Department but Baekhyun vaguely remembers seeing Chanyeol on stage with a flower garland back in their company trip to Hawaii last summer.

Baekhyun returns with the couple set, 2 scoops, and lots of pretty rainbow sprinkles. He pulls the chair out and sits across Chanyeol at the window seat. “Oh by the way I’m Baekhyun!” Chanyeol looks up after stabbing his side of the chocolate ice cream for the 10th time that minute and replies with a “Hi Baekhyun, I’m Chanyeol!” Baekhyun is about to smack himself for asking “You like chocolate?” but Chanyeol is quick-witted and replies “I like strawberry!”. Okay nevermind. “Sorry sorry, you like strawberry right!” Chanyeol is about the smack himself from how ridiculous that statement was.

Thankfully, Baekhyun laughed at how awkward Chanyeol is and his eyes crinkle in the cutest way possible. Chanyeol loves how comfortable talking to Baekhyun is, no odd silences because there is no topic the two of them cannot carry. Baekhyun asks for Chanyeol’s number halfway into their conversation, rapidly waving both his hands when Chanyeol gives a smirk. He then explains that he wishes to return him his handkerchief after washing it and he is really sorry for dirtying it. Chanyeol chuckles seeing Baekhyun flush red while sliding his phone across the table. Chanyeol doesn’t realise how his chocolate ice cream melted and mixed with strawberry when he sends one spoonful after another.

The same waitress appears at their table with a polaroid in hand, asking them to take a photo together. Both of them lean forward at the same time, “Snap! Snap! Snap!”, three photos, one for each. It registers that the shop is doing a Christmas special when she prances around taking triple shots for every other couple. Baekhyun imitates the way Chanyeol places the photo in his coat pocket and they both giggle at how exaggerated Baekhyun;s actions were. It is only when the shop announces that it is closing in 30 minutes do they finally stop their chatter and start saying their goodbyes. “Thank you so much for tonight, Chanyeol-ah.”, Chanyeol only gives a little smile and replied that he enjoyed himself just as much. With promises to spend New Year’s Eve together again, they parted ways with a new number saved in their phones. 

Baekhyun thinks his heart isn’t in so much pain, talking to a guy he just met for 2 hours made him more comfortable than he ever did with his boyfriend of 2 years. Baekhyun hated their arrangement, he hated being forced and even more having his life used as a chip for business deals. However, even though they didn’t get together on their own accord, Baekhyun did invest feelings and time in the relationship hoping to make it work since they would probably have to get married for the sake of their family’s businesses. Baekhyun tried, he really did, but being with someone as conceited as Seungjae was wearing him out already. Perhaps breaking up is the best way out, Baekhyun thinks as he makes his way home.

It is almost midnight, Chanyeol slowly walks back to the multi-storey car park in the shopping mall to fetch his car. He almost doesn’t remember that he just broke up with his girlfriend, his ex-girlfriend who delivered him an ultimatum and he decided to take the second option which was to leave. The memories of his past threatens to drown him once again but when he is reminded of Baekhyun, those painful times start to fade away slowly. Chanyeol is someone who never enjoyed sharing the goodness of chocolate with anything else, not wafers, not fruits but tonight, he thinks strawberry might be the best match for it.

(2015.) 

Baekhyun’s lease would be expiring in 6 months so he thinks it would be best if he finds another place to stay. Considering his financial situation, buying an apartment entirely on his own sounds crazy but how else should he go about this? Chanyeol plops himself on the sofa space next to him and peeks at the apartment listing Baekhyun was looking at. “You’re thinking of buying a house?” He sits up right asks incredulously . Baekhyun chuckles and waves it off, “No silly! I’m not rich enough for that!” Chanyeol gives him the side eye, and states as-a-matter-of-factly, “I am literally working in your company Baekhyun!” Baekhyun stands up and “Correction. My parents’ company. Not mine.” Uh huh. “So their money. Not mine.” 

Chanyeol gives up, he knows how much Baekhyun hates to rely on his family. Not because of bad blood between them, Baekhyun just wants to be self-reliant and independent like that. His car was given to him as a birthday present for turning 21, Papa Byun refused to take it back so Baekhyun gratefully accepted the huge present. Mama Byun almost wanted to buy him an apartment last year but Baekhyun shook his so quickly before telling her to use the money, the apartment, whatever not, for investment instead. Baekhyun receives the monthly rent from that apartment because Mama Byun told him to treat it as his pocket money, he couldn’t help but chuckle when smiley Mrs Byun shared how mortified Baekhyun was. 

At the thought of this, an Eureka moment happens and Chanyeol suggests “Why not we buy an apartment together!” Baekhyun whips his neck so quickly upon hearing that he might have gotten a whiplash. Buying an apartment is probably one of the most reckless thing one could do at 25, probably not what people usually have checked off their life goals at 25 too. Everything went by quickly as Baekhyun and Chanyeol agreed on the same apartment after going apartment scouting. They didn’t cheat, they wrote out their TOP 3 favourite ones after visiting their shortlisted few and it happened that their first choice matched. They got all the procedures ready, took out a bank loan and received the keys to their apartment after 6 months. 

Baekhyun found himself stealing glances at Chanyeol often, more so after they became best of friends, and even more when they were house visiting and furniture shopping. Chanyeol knew a little bit about interior design and it was so nice seeing Chanyeol talk about his ideas when they discussed about their house. Baekhyun always sends him pretty furniture pieces he sees on the internet to choose and Chanyeol would always look at them carefully before telling him what he thinks. Baekhyun really appreciated that level of dedication, how did he ever date someone like his ex? Seungjae always brushed him off, never paid attention to whatever he said unless he needed something, but Chanyeol was different. It was fascinating how similar yet different they were when it came to furniture and style. Baekhyun prefered white while Chanyeol loved black, this made choosing furniture easy as black and white were the two colours that matched best. Their living room was painted soft cream, one huge full black sofa spanned from the wall to near the door and it was coupled with a beautiful white fur rug. They got free rein to design their respective rooms and it was honestly a hilarious sight for their neighbours Jongdae and Minseok watching the two of them squabble like little kids over whose room turned out better. Their housewarming party marked the first “Baekhyun vs Chanyeol, Battle of the Century” match as they invited their closest bunch of friends over (and also to finally determine a winner). 

Junmyeon who drove Kyungsoo over were the last to arrive but their luxurious gift immediately captured everyone’s attention. Messy collars and is that a faint love bite on the older’s neck? Everyone came to a silent agreement to not expose them, it seems like they have yet to go official. Baekhyun, as an old friend of Kyungsoo, gladly introduced him to join their growing group when they met up for his birthday a few months back in May. Junmyeon must have been instantly attracted, if his offer to buy him a drink at their second round was a tell-tale sign. Baekhyun doesn’t remember how it went down at the pub though, Chanyeol brought him back to his apartment as he was already bordering drunk levels. Now that Baekhyun thinks of it, Chanyeol didn’t order any alcoholic drink that night. A shy tint creeps up Baekhyun’s face, did Chanyeol not drink so he could send me home? He sneaks a look at Chanyeol who is busy pouring drinks for their guests, whatever it may be, Baekhyun is thankful to have him around.

Sehun arrived an hour ahead to help both his older brothers with the housewarming party preparation and it was then when he asked them why they were so willing to purchase an apartment together when they only knew each other for less than a year. He intentionally asked when they were not together but the two of them replied with the same answer, “You wouldn’t believe the connection I felt when I saw him.” To say Sehun was shocked would be an understatement. The Chanyeol he knew since he was wearing diapers and attending pre-school with was scared of commitment. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined Chanyeol committing to owning an apartment with anyone, not just Baekhyun but literally anyone. Sehun was introduced to Baekhyun over drinks a few months ago and he is their secret supporter, their fanclub president, always finding ways to tease them both but he never got anything more then reddened ears. Therefore, poor Sehun would always whine the minute he gets home from a meetup with them, “Jongin-ah, when will Baekhyun and Chanyeol become a couple?”. Jongin would always hang their coats on the rack neatly before hugging him and reply “When the time is right.”

(2016.)

Baekhyun remembers it was a Friday night, having initiated going to the pub for happy hour but the taller insisted on heading home. “And we can save petrol!” Chanyeol piqued before the faint click of the door was heard. Saving petrol? This can’t be the same Chanyeol who drove around Hongdae finding one open Paris Baguette outlet because he knew their strawberry fresh cream cake is bound to cheer the disappointed Baekhyun up. God must have heard his desperate pleas because he managed to snag the last piece of the delicious treat from the last outlet he visited just before they closed for the day. Chanyeol thinks about how dejected Baekhyun was when he saw him earlier in the afternoon and drives a little faster to get home earlier.

Chanyeol was on his way to the printing room this afternoon when he passed by the pantry, Baekhyun appeared in his sight so he guesses printing could wait. He silently let himself in, it is when he saw Baekhyun drop the 5th sugar block into his coffee that he decided that his housemate was disoriented. Baekhyun looks up with the exact same innocent eyes two years ago when Chanyeol slides his tumbler away from his hands. After getting yelled at his direct superior for the half-finished report submitted by accident by his teammate, the bubbles of frustration and helplessness filled Baekhyun’s head and heart. Baekhyun can't understand why he is the one being scolded but he caught a “As the team leader, you are responsible of the actions of your fellow teammates” in his superior’s heated rant. With his head bowed, Baekhyun padded out of his office and headed straight for the room next to the lift lobby. He has been thinking about it for the past 10 minutes and he is still thinking of a reason why he should be blamed for the mistake made by Junpyo, it’s not like he has control over his mailbox or the accidents caused by him. Caught in his thoughts, he reaches for his tumblr body instead of the handle and only belatedly realises that he chose black coffee instead of latte when he looks into the cup. He just can’t get anything right, can he? The smaller was most definitely not expecting to see his housemate just slightly over an hour after they went for lunch together at the restaurant a street down but thank god Chanyeol is here, just his presence is enough. Chanyeol doesn’t probe, he sets the documents on the table before walking to the coffee machine to grab Baekhyun a fresh cup of coffee. Nevermind that coffee starts dripping into the tumblr marked with a big “PCY”, they share pretty much everything anyway.

That night, Chanyeol asked Baekhyun to shower and get ready while he rushed to the convenience mart two streets and one right turn to buy them a mini-carton of 6 beer cans. He made sure to choose the peach flavoured one, Baekhyun obviously preferred his beer to taste like fresh peaches more than sour lemons with the way his face scrunched up after taking a gulp. Baekhyun diligently built a fort at their living room, making sure to pull the white rug to a corner before picking out 3 Disney movie DVDs and leaving them on the breakfast tray. His wool slippers makes him sound like a busy bee when he moves around their kitchen trying to finish making cheese toast and defrost two tubs of ice cream before Chanyeol returns from his trip. Baekhyun finishes plating everything nicely just before he hears fumblings and the sound of Chanyeol setting 3 cans of beer for the both of them.

Baekhyun wonders why he even gave Chanyeol 2 other options when he sees him reach straight for the Zootopia CD, not their first time watching it together, definitely won’t be the last either. He hears sniffs when the movie is reaching the climax and he settles for rubbing the small of the back that belongs to soft-hearted giant beside him. It seems to work when he stops hearing live sound effects to go with their movie night, Chanyeol reaches behind to pull Baekhyun’s hand out of his hoodie. Their hands remain loosely held together for the rest of the night. The smaller stifles a laughter when he sees Chanyeol’s eyelids starting to droop after the credits roll, poor boy must have been so tired today. 

As much as how Chanyeol noticed his unhappiness, he too noticed how much Chanyeol was frowning during lunch today. He texted Jongin to ask, and the tanned skin male replied that the project their team was working on is apparently on the verge of being reassigned. He knew how many sleepless nights Chanyeol spent working on it, how many crushed paper balls he picked up from their study long after Chanyeol admitted defeated and succumbed to his exhausted. He knew how much pride Chanyeol has for his work, knowing everything could possibly go to naught when they were close to the final stages must have stressed him out so much. Baekhyun carefully stands up and heads towards their kitchen, he is pleasantly surprised when a little box in the fridge greets him. Even without taking the little dessert out, Baekhyun already waters at the thought of his favourite strawberry treat- the shop name and logo is an instant giveaway. Baekhyun promises to grab a carton of Chanyeol’s favourite green tea to surprise him soon, it has been missing from their fridge for a week since Chanyeol never had time to go grocery shopping. He sets it on a plate and brings two mini forks and a glass of water when he returns to their living room. Baekhyun sheepishly grins at the sight of Chanyeol rubbing his eyes, he must have gasped a little too loudly when he saw the Paris Baguette takeaway box. They eat while sharing about their worries at work and Baekhyun is glad that Chanyeol isn’t keeping his stress all bottled up. It is 2 in the morning when they clean up and head back to their rooms after deciding to grab breakfast together when morning comes.

Baekhyun closes his door and jumps onto his bed, Mr Floof getting squished in his tight embrace. His cheeks get warmer despite the air-conditioning in his room. Chanyeol really doesn’t need to know how Baekhyun pecked him at the corner of his lips after Baekhyun confirmed that his crush has dozed off. His hair bounces along with his violent shakes, the adrenaline from the kiss lingers and he doesn’t know how to feel about it. Baekhyun unknowingly smacks his lips together, the strawberry fresh cream cake tastes extra sweet today. It must be the strawberry.

Chanyeol’s eyes shoot open the minute he hears Baekhyun’s door shut. With a finger on the corner of his upper lip, he wonders if his crush actually kissed him or if it was just a figment of his imagination. He must have been spending too much time thinking about it because when he finally dozes off for the second time that night, the hour hand of clock on his bed frame points at 4.

Movie night is both of them sinking into the sofa, munching, drinking, snuggling, crying and dissing terrible plot developments together. Movie night is usually just the two of them but their friends in the same apartment complex pops by occasionally. Movie night happens twice a month and it has since became their favourite night but nope, they are not a couple.

(2017.)

It is early spring when they welcomed Toben and Myongryong into their cozy residence. Myongryong was adopted from the shelter that was a 20 minute drive from their apartment complex, they spent 6 months visiting the shelter bi-weekly before making the decision to adopt. Thankfully, Chanyeol loved dogs and was more than willing when Baekhyun suggested giving the corgi a new home in Hongdae 2 weeks ago. Myongryong is a super active puppy, often tiring both his dads out but they simply couldn’t resist those eyes especially when it pawed at their sweats asking them to play with him. Myongryong was introduced to a new fur-friend a few days shy from his 2nd birthday and all of Chanyeol’s worries melted away when he saw its tail wag upon catching sight of the black poodle in his owner’s hands. Toben was named by his taller dad, having said Toben sounded cuter than Leo that his older sister suggested. Yoora was so excited hearing about the latest addition to the house that she immediately drove down and rushed in almost bumping into Baekhyun. 

“Hyun-ah, when are you going confess to my baby brother?”  
“Not anytime soon Yoora, he doesn’t seem to share the same feelings.”  
“Give him some time, he’s just too blind to see it.”

They’ve been through this so many times but Yoora insists on asking for their progress each time she visits to play with Toben. Even Yoora could tell, is it that obvious that he has started treating Chanyeol more than just his housemate and friend? He shakes his head, if it was crystal-clear, there’s no way Chanyeol wouldn’t catch on after one and a half year. They continue chatting about Yoora’s new job and Baekhyun just couldn’t give up the opportunity to bombard her with questions about her growing belly. He was elated when she sent him a picture of her ultrascan, to be exact, he barged into Chanyeol’s room and asked him to get ready because they really have to pay her a visit this minute. He remembers seeing Chanyeol all disoriented and confused because he couldn’t for the life of him process what Baekhyun meant by “Your sister is pregnant!”. It was only when he mumbled “Who’s my sister? My sister is Yoora. So if Baekhyun says my sister is pregnant that means... Wait Yoora is pregnant?!” did he finally catch on. Baekhyun smiles fondly as he remembers that leaning on his door frame at 9am and witnessing the exact moment Chanyeol’s eyes turn into saucers. 

Chanyeol must have insane timing because said male walks into Baekhyun’s room and sees Mongryong lying comfortably on his sister’s lap just as he filled Baekhyun’s thoughts. He asks them to come out for snacks and is left puzzled at the way all three of them, their corgi included, stared at him when he opened the door. Myongryong wonders why his other dad is so dense.

-

Baekhyun thinks he has finally received the cue to give up when Chanyeol arrives last to their gathering and announces that he is dating someone officially. He really shouldn’t be surprised though, he can’t remember the last time they had lunch or dinner or movie night. He can’t remember when he last talked to Chanyeol for more than 10 minutes before the conversation went around how his recent date with the pretty florist went. She appears behind him with their hands interlocked and briefly introduces herself. They go through a round of introductions and Baekhyun squeezes out a smile after his turn. It is albeit wobbly but it is good enough to trick Chanyeol. If Baekhyun’s heart couldn’t break further, Chanyeol adds that he has already told his girlfriend about their living arrangement and invites Tiffany to stay the night because “Baekhyun wouldn’t mind right!” Kyungsoo pets the back of his hand when he feels Baekhyun balls his palms upon hearing those words. Sehun is two seats away from Baekhyun and he is gripping his knife so tightly Jongin has to ease it out of his hand and pushes his salad away before blood is shed at their favourite restaurant. Jongin excuses both of them and brings Sehun out of the store, his boyfriend takes it as an opportunity to rant about how ridiculous this whole situation is. He holds Sehun and patiently waits for him to finish, Sehun has always been a emotional child so he already has his handkerchief ready when the first tear rolls down his boyfriend’s cheek.

Junmyeon sends worried looks and offers to switch places, he adds “I can reach the roasted chicken easier that way” as an excuse and Baekhyun couldn’t be more grateful. One more minute of being blinded by Tiffany’s smile and he would have to leave the table to get fresh air. He could never stand strong scents anyway. Chanyeol, too busy with his girlfriend, doesn’t notice the odd atmosphere around the table. Everyone seems too tensed, tipping toes around the birthday boy afraid to trigger his emotions. It does gets better when they sing Baekhyun a birthday song because he cracks his first genuine smile of the night upon seeing his favourite strawberry cake. Chanyeol passes him his birthday gift when Kyungsoo starts the ball rolling with his $200 gift voucher to Baekhyun’s favourite skincare line.

Baekhyun leaves with Jongdae and Minseok’s car, citing “Sleepover party!” as his reason. Jongdae plays along and initiates awkward small talk about all the nacho and popcorn flavours he has for their movie night tonight. It doesn’t even register in Chanyeol’s head that Baekhyun has never liked popcorn or nachos for that matter. It doesn’t register than they haven’t had movie nights in 2 months either. He definitely doesn’t realise that this is the first gathering that ended without Baekhyun riding shotgun. They end up driving to Tiffany’s house that night instead of heading to Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s shared apartment. Chanyeol changed his mind at last minute but Tiffany smiled shyly and nodded before keying her address into the GPS.

Jongdae lies in Minseok’s embrace and laments, “Is this really the end for them? I hate seeing Baekhyun so upset! Did you hear how his voice cracked when he said goodnight?” Minseok doesn’t know how to comfort his fiance, Jongdae was the first friend Baekhyun confided to about his feelings for Chanyeol. He promised to keep it a secret for him but everyone figured it out eventually whenever they saw how their two friends interacted.

Baekhyun carefully tears the gift wrapper open and his favourite scented candle comes into complete view. He sees the candle warmer he has wanted for the longest time but was always out of stock, this makes it his nth bittersweet smile of the night. What a great day for his crush to announce that he’s officially taken, his 27th birthday ends with him hugging a pillow that shows exactly where his tears land with the darkened spots on the cover. Liking someone is too difficult, he should have known better. He falls asleep to The River Flows in You, thanking the heavens for friends like Jongdae and Minseok. He doesn’t think he can handle being in the same apartment as Chanyeol and his girlfriend now.

2018\. 

It is March 30th when Chanyeol comes home with a wound on his cheek and a bruised lip. Apparently he got beaten up by Tiffany’s brother for breaking his sister’s heart. She has been suggesting for Chanyeol to move in with her since the night they counted down to 2018 together but Chanyeol always found it too uncomfortable an arrangement. Chanyeol tried withdrawing himself from the relationship when he concluded that he doesn’t need her but she always insisted that they could work something out. He initiated a breakup over lunch earlier in the day and he feels an odd sense of relief when she agrees. Chanyeol ends up with a streak of blood from his jawbone that evening despite Tiffany’s desperate yells for Seungjae to stop punching her ex-boyfriend. Seungjae pushes him against the wall, grabs him by the collar and spits out a “Fuck you” before leaving.

Baekhyun exclaims in surprise when he gets home minutes after Chanyeol stepped in, wondering why Chanyeol could be home this early for once. His surprise turns into utter shock when Chanyeol turns around to reveal his wounds. Baekhyun flies to the shelf and hurriedly brings the first-aid to tend to Chanyeol’s wounds. He winces when the alcohol swab goes over his cheek but he still manages to laugh when he hears Baekhyun nag about him being “too old to be getting into fights and getting your face fucked up”. Chanyeol must have missed the “handsome” that Baekhyun dropped into his ramble because he doesn’t see Chanyeol’s smug grin. Or so he thought. The smaller glances at the taller male who looked like he was waiting for an answer with his face way too close for comfort (and Baekhyun’s heart). 

“You think I’m handsome? You really think I’m handsome?”  
“W-what are you saying out of the blue?”  
“I heard you say handsome just now!”  
“Well! You heard wrong!” 

Baekhyun might have stuck the plaster a little too hard onto his cheek but Chanyeol deserves it! Over a can of beer, Chanyeol reveals that he broke up with Tiffany today and his face is the work of her angry brother. Baekhyun allows a smile to creep onto his lips for a second before scolding himself for gloating for his best friend (still crush)’s circumstances. The taller asks to hold back the comforting words because Chanyeol has never felt more at ease and comfortable now since last December. He nods attentively and allows Chanyeol to fill him in with everything that happened in the past few months that they distanced apart. Toben and Myongryong run out from the room upon hearing their dads laugh and paws at their shins asking to be carried up. 

Small dad finds himself at the sofa when he wakes up the next morning, he haven’t had such a good sleep in the longest time. He doesn’t remember the comforter here when he fell asleep and he grins knowing that it is thanks to Chanyeol. Said man is found frying an omelette to finish his breakfast platter so Baekhyun heads over to fill the two puppies’ bowls with their breakfast too. They laze their Saturday away with a movie marathon and two home-cooked meals they made together. Childish food fights with flour and chocolate sauce when they were having a bake-off and finishing 3 bags of BBQ flavoured chips when they caught up on the last 4 episodes of their favourite Netflix series.

They return to their old routine of heading to work and eating all 3 meals (occasionally 4) meals a day together. Movie night is reinstated and they catch up on all the latest movies together, even inviting all their friends to join them when they finally got their hands on the DVD for the movie Kyungsoo starred in. “Yes I still like him,” Baekhyun whispers when Chanyeol goes for a toilet break before they start watching Hyung, “If it doesn’t work out after this year, then it’s really not meant to be right?” All 6 of them nods silently, “Whatever makes you happy B.”

Chanyeol is free and single again right? He can get used to this and start hoping again, right?

2018\. The Eve of Christmas Eve.

Baekhyun looks around the room, chuckling at the crazy and wacky headbands donned by his equally crazy friends. His eyes scan across the living room and fixates on the Christmas tree at the corner beside the television. Chanyeol is so silly for putting that picture again, Baekhyun still remembers how he was yelling non-stop about how he finally got both Myongryong and Toben to wear the Santa hat he bought at Daiso. It’s not wrong though, putting a blown up photo of their two puppies as the star of the tree, perfect choice on Chanyeol’s part if he might add. 

Jongin clinks the rim of his champagne glass with his fork once Chanyeol sets the log-cake down and changes into slippers. Minseok stands up excitedly and begins their annual gift exchange. All of them pause their conversations and look up with their fingers wrapped around their wine glass, wine was never Jongin’s thing anyway. “Pick a slip! Jongdae! Please stop trying to see through the paper!” Minseok rolls his eyes as he invites his fiance to have the first pick. Kyungsoo gives a little smile after picking his slip from the Santa hat that was making its rounds around the long oakwood table. He tucks the little yellow paper in his palms, glancing at Junmyeon who was animatedly recounting his childhood story to Yixing through the device in his hands. God bless technology and handphones. Kyungsoo listens on attentively, as though it isn’t his hundredth time hearing the anecdote of young Junmyeon skating and falling on his butt when it snowed out of the blue because he couldn’t control his excitement. 

Sehun whines loudly when he sees “JONGIN” on his slip, where’s the fun in that! Jongin already knows what’s his gift because they went shopping together so Sehun complains about how he should have been the first to pick. “Come on, this is by fate! It doesn’t matter when you pick because-” Chanyeol comes to an emergency brake when he sees “BAEKHYUN”. Sehun tries his best to hold back his laughter when he looks over Chanyeol’s shoulder, “It is truly by fate huh?” Chanyeol’s ears go red and waves Sehun away. He has been feeling extra weird around Baekhyun these days, he wants to stay with Baekhyun the way they have been but he can’t help but think of Jongin’s words. Baekhyun can do better than being stuck with him, he probably doesn’t want to be stuck with someone like him. 

“If you like Baekhyun, let him know. You will never know until you try. Rumours have been going around about how the new Finance Manager is interested in Baekhyun. Just so you know.”

Baekhyun never thought he would see “CHANYEOL” printed on the piece of paper he picked out and he bites his lips when Chanyeol’s words ring in his head. “This is by fate”, “By fate”, “Fate”, it’s like a mantra that wouldn’t stop no matter how he willed it to. If he moved his hand a little to the right, if he got the first pick, would it still be Chanyeol? Baekhyun doesn’t realise he’s staring until he’s met with Chanyeol’s wide eyes. “Your sweater looks funny”, he tries to get away with it. Jongin beats Chanyeol to point out that they are wearing matching ugly Christmas sweaters. Baekhyun pouts and slumps back into the couch, he can never win right?

Sehun strides over, secretively placing a small box right at the bottom of the tree before joining his boyfriend who was sprawled lazily on the snow-white rug. The couple has no idea how Baekhyun and Chanyeol managed to keep this rug pristin white when it has been a good 4 years since they shipped their shared gift to them.

When the clock strikes 11, they finally start their gift exchange. Jongdae picked Junmyeon, igniting giggles when it was revealed to be a full protein shake. Everyone zips when Minseok jabs them with “It is suitable for Myeon but all of you need it”. Baekhyun proudly pats his little tummy, pizza with lots and lots of cheese is better anyway! They continue with Junmyeon’s pick so he stands up and passes an envelope to Sehun. Sehun rushes to unwrap it, ignoring Junmyeon plea to not rip the ribbon off because he spent a long time making both sides even. His present is revealed to be a set of plane tickets to Maldives! Sehun jumps in joy and hugs his Santa while waving the pretty envelope in the air.

Jongin’s present is handed over by a sulky Sehun and it is no surprise to him but much to the delight of everyone when he pulls out a shark onesie from the limited edition luggage. He draws laughter from everyone when he takes Baekhyun’s suggestion to sing Baby Shark once he came out of the bathroom and strut down their hallway. Don’t be fooled by how excited Baekhyun looks, because his heart is about to jump out of his mouth thinking about his turn and joking around happens to be his best coping mechanism. Chanyeol seems to be having the time of his life filming Jongin’s improvisation of a hip-hop version of the same children song. Minseok’s present ends in laughter because he received a boxful of reusable cutlery and his excitement shot through the roof the minute he understood why Jongin decided on this. Jongin has always been extremely environmentally conscious but there is a special touch to it because he engraved little bears everywhere from the straws to the cup holder. Perfect for Minseok who loves himself a good cup of Iced Americano every morning. 

Minseok bends to pick up his gift for Kyungsoo and smiles warmly when Kyungsoo spots the latest pair of NIKE sport shoes and training wear that he was too busy to order online when the collection dropped. Minseok confesses that he bought it with Kyungsoo in mind since he is the only one amongst them that will don such outfits and his recipient gladly accepted it with promises to send him a photo when he wears them next time. Kyungsoo passes by the Christmas tree and places his gift on his old friend’s palms. It is a beautiful watch from their favourite brand and Jongdae almost kisses Kyungsoo in gratitude when he opened the rectangular box.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun look at each other when it dawns on them that they have actually picked each other as their recipient. All the other boys start cheering for Chanyeol to reveal his present first so he musters all the courage he has and brings the huge box to Baekhyun. Baekhyun opens the box and a mistletoe pops up, a slip of paper reads, “Kiss the person in front of you before opening me”. Baekhyun turns to face Minseok and they almost kiss when Jongdae smacked his head with the cushion. It must have been quite a sight watching Baekhyun’s eyes widen when Chanyeol exclaims that it should be him that Baekhyun has to kiss since he is right in front. The boys go wild for the second time in 2 minutes the moment Baekhyun brushed his lips across Chanyeol’s. They both flush red but at least Baekhyun has a huge box to bury his face into. He picks up the envelope and opens the flap, “3D2N Staycation at Grand Hyatt Seoul. Valid till 2019.” Jongin nudges him when everyone is arguing about the best hotel in Seoul, “Chanyeol hyung literally got himself a present”. Baekhyun doesn’t want think into it because he too, hopes it will come true because what he’s about to it will either make or break them.

Sehun points at the little box under the tree, egging Baekhyun to hurry reveal his present for Chanyeol. There were 2 presents, one for the exchange but this was a custom-made gift that Baekhyun prepared specially for Chanyeol, in the event that he manages to pick him. The youngest of the group encourages him to go for it so he strides towards Chanyeol with the box in hand. The taller’s fingers shake as he carefully lifted the box and gasps when Baekhyun asks “Will you be my boyfriend?”. In the box, was a simple ring engraved with the soundwaves of Baekhyun saying “I love you”. Chanyeol couldn’t recover from the feeling of Baekhyun’s lips on his and this sudden confession. To the surprise of everyone, he stands up, dashes down the hallway and out of their main door. His actions shock everyone in the room especially Baekhyun who was still in a half-kneeling position. Their mouths are agape from the shock, they never thought Chanyeol would do that. Drop everything and leave, anything but that. The jewellry box falls off the side of the couch and the ring soundlessly lands on the fur rug. Baekhyun doesn’t know what went wrong but there is a terrible ache in his chest and he’s so sorry to all his friends. Especially Sehun was helped him with the entire gift preparation. He’s truly the biggest fool ever.

“S-sorry guys, please make your way home soon. I’m sorry for ruining our Christmas party, happy, happy holidays.” Baekhyun bows his head so no one sees the way his lips wobble and the tear streaks on his face.

The boys help to clear the messy dining table and living room before leaving Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s apartment. Junmyeon knocks on Baekhyun’s door, “We’re leaving now Baek. Take care of yourself.” Baekhyun chokes out a thank you, cringing at his cracked voice before returning to hide under his thick comforter. Silly silly Baekhyun, what was he even hoping for? Now Chanyeol left, he ruined the party, he doesn’t know what to do with himself anymore. Baekhyun lets his tears flow, he doesn’t know when he fell asleep, he just wishes to turn things around.

“If Chanyeol doesn’t want to be more than friends, that’s okay too.  
I can live with that. Just don’t leave please. Why do people always leave me?”

It is 7 in the morning when Baekhyun wakes up with swollen eyes and a red nose that makes it extremely fitting for Christmas Eve. He rubs his ears while he passes by the living room, he certainly doesn’t expect Chanyeol to be sitting in a fetus position with both knees pressed to his chest. Baekhyun can’t find it in him to ignore the guy with the elf-ish ears he loves so much. Chanyeol looks up at him and his hearts melts into a puddle of goo. Baekhyun carefully reaches for his fingers and is relieved when Chanyeol didn’t flinch. The taller slowly turns around to face Baekhyun before burying himself into his shoulders. They say silent this way, Chanyeol wetting his hoodie while Baekhyun rubs the small of his back in an attempt to calm him down.

“I’m sorry Baekhyun,” he starts and Baekhyun’s heart cracks a little more. He is about to tell Chanyeol that it’s okay, he understands and he wouldn’t force him but the giant insists on making Baekhyun hear him out first. Baekhyun has always been a good listener, and he would always pay attention to what Chanyeol wants to share but this time, he’s afraid his heart isn’t strong enough for this. He swears he must be under some “Get dumped on Christmas Eve”, he doesn’t dare listen. Just like what Chanyeol did last night, Baekhyun stands up and paces down the hallway towards the door. The shorter keeps walking, trying his hardest to ignore how Chanyeol keeps shouting for him to not go and freezes when he hears “I’ve liked you since 2015! I want to be with you for a long time but I’m scared you-” Chanyeol’s sentence is cut short by Baekhyun who presses his lips onto his. Chanyeol gets himself a lapful of Baekhyun and finally replaces his frown with the brightest smile when Baekhyun tells him they’ve already been together for the longest time, why would he not want to stay?

Chanyeol recounts his childhood that permanently scarred the way he sees relationships, it all began when he turned 7 and watched his parents yell at each other more often than they talked. Young Chanyeol couldn’t understand why all his classmates had stories about what they did with their parents over the weekend yet he could only remember the shouts, the glass plates shattering and the “Get back into your room!” that always came. Seeing how shaken Chanyeol still is, Baekhyun holds onto his hand tightly as a form of comfort. Chanyeol hated hearing them quarrel, he hated how they got so loud he couldn’t focus on his guitar and his drawings. He hated how he had to imagine and make up family outings to the zoo, the beach, the amusement park because he had to submit his weekly diary assignment. His parents decided to end each other’s misery by divorcing 2 years later, Chanyeol didn’t know what divorce meant but he knew he preferred a quiet house. Things only got worse when he got into his first relationship and left with his heart bruised. She was his first love, and he tried his hardest to be a fitting boyfriend. He definitely didn’t need to come home to his girlfriend of 3 years rolling around in bed with another man, on the bed they shared. Chanyeol forgave once but she cheated twice. “Let’s break up.” he said, “Fuck commitment.” 

From then on, Chanyeol never dated seriously, always chose to leave when the other party brought up marriage or cohabitation because of his fear of it ending in the same way. Chanyeol also confesses that the night he met him outside Baskin Robbins, he left the longest relationship he had since his first love. Baekhyun passes him his phone upon his request and sees the messages Sehun and Jongin sent to Chanyeol. 

(November 16th, 2016) Sehun: You know Baekhyun won’t leave you.  
(November 16th, 2016) Sehun: Why can’t you see how much he loves you? 

(January 8th, 2017) Jongin: Why not give it a shot, start by confessing?

(May 27th, 2018) Jongin: He is not like Hyeri, you know he wouldn’t be.

(August 20th, 2018) Sehun: You literally have a house, Myongryong and Toben with Baekhyun.  
(August 20th, 2018) You’ve long committed to your relationship with him, you just don’t see it.

“I’m so sorry for ditching you like that last night. That was an asshole move.”  
“I was hurt but I understand why you did that. Can I get a hug please?”  
“I will give you all the hugs in the world B.”

“I never knew how different I treated you, even Jongin and Sehun could tell that I’ve committed to you.” Chanyeol fumbles with the strings of his hoodie. “Is your offer still on? If not, then can you be my boyfriend?” Chanyeol gives up untying the dead knot and chooses to reach for Baekhyun’s slender hands. Baekhyun answers him with a kiss.

“What about your finance manager?” Chanyeol asks in a small voice, “You’re already mine okay!” Baekhyun shakes his head and reassures Chanyeol that it was just Jongin trying to rile him up to see his reaction. Chanyeol has to cheek to blush when he scratches his head, “Silly me, sorry for making you wait so long. I promise I will love you more.”

-

Chanyeol fell in love with Baekhyun long before he realised he did but better late than never. As Chanyeol boops Baekhyun’s nose and Baekhyun pulls his ears in return, he realises they match in many ways. Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer and Christmas Elf with his ears. Baekhyun’s Very Berry Strawberry to his Chocolate. His favourite Black to Baekhyun’s favourite White.

Even in the alphabet, B is beside C; B for Baekhyun, C for Chanyeol.

2018\. Christmas. 

It is December 25th when the streets are decked out in Christmas decorations, and couples are holding hands seemingly out on a mission to fill every restaurant possible. 

Baekhyun is warm and snuggling with his boyfriend, Chanyeol at their shared apartment in Hongdae. It is still a terrible 5 degree night today and even if he isn’t dressed warmly enough, he has Chanyeol as his personal and exclusive heater. Baekhyun thinks nothing could be better than getting dumped on Christmas Eve all those years ago.

It is December 25th and the two of them are feasting on chicken and pizza, clinking glasses of champagne while they remain in each others embrace eyes glued to the Christmas special movie on their TV.

Chanyeol thinks Christmas could start being his thing. Yes to how cold it is, because he can hug Baekhyun to share warmth. Yes to how crowded it is everywhere during this time of the year because they can stay home all day. Toben and Mongryong, dressed in cute matching outfits, lie beside each other just like their two dads. Life can’t get any better than this.

Funny how things work out, the year they met each other was the last year Baskin Robbins used that rule. The year they fell in love with each other was the year Baskin Robbins stopped their couple dining requirement for Christmas. Thank heavens and fate that brought them together one Christmas Eve. 

-

Now, I’ve come to like Christmas, but I’ll always like you more.  
Don’t Merry Christmas, my love. Merry Me.

The End. 

**Author's Note:**

> I’m already a day late but still Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you enjoyed reading this story! I haven’t written anything much for a good 3 years so I hope this was decent!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, do let me know what you think in the comments below! 
> 
> Love, qtpiebyunbaek.


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